Who We Are
by Inalicante
Summary: A series of one-shots based on prompts I received on Tumblr. Hayffie
1. Chapter 1

**An Early Holiday Season**

"Pour me another one." Haymitch grumbled towards the bartender and put the money on the counter. The bar was overly crowded with excited Capitol citizens. Of course, the last preparations for the 75th Games were in full swing and the Capitol citizens stayed up late. Our favourite mentor couldn't care less; his tributes were ready as can be, but they still had two days of training left.

"Are you sure about that, sir?" the bartender carefully asked. "You've had quite a lot to drink tonight. I don't think it's a good idea that-" "I said pour me another one!" Haymitch interrupted the bartender. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to pass out and forget about everything again for a while.

"I'm sorry, sir." the bartender continued politely. "You have to go home and rest for a bit." Haymitch snorted. "You can't tell me what to do." he slurred. But he stood up anyway. _I'm not drunk enough_, he thought to himself. He walked out of the crowded bar. Hmm, fresh air. "Might as well go for a walk." he sighed.

He didn't want to return to the Penthouse just yet. Effie was probably still up. They had a nasty fight about their tributes. Of course, they were both heartbroken. But Haymitch had not taken Effie too seriously. The woman was always overreacting anyways. He looked around the almost empty streets of the Capitol. The sky was clear; Haymitch could see the moon and the stars. He looked at the houses, light pouring out of the windows, people partying like there was no tomorrow.

Suddenly he spotted something interesting in a window display as he walked past a store. He walked back a few steps. _'Escort Calendar – 75__th__Hunger Games Exclusive Edition'. _One of the escorts, probably the one from District 1, stood on the cover in a rather provocative manner.

"Wait a minute…" Haymitch whispered to himself. He walked in the store and searched for the calendar. He found a pile of them in a rack and picked one. He turned the square, rather large calendar around to find a list of the contents of the calendar. _January – Victoria Roxen_. Of course, the escort from 1. _February – Septima Baxwoll._ The escort from 2.

"Effie, Effie.." Haymitch mumbled as he scanned the list with his eyes. _December – Euphemia Trinket._ Duh. District 12. Why didn't he think of that earlier. Becoming kind of curious, he decided to buy it and take a look. After he had payed for the calendar he headed straight for the Training Center, stepped into the elevator, pressed the button to the Penthouse and ripped the wrapping plastic off of the calendar. _December_, he reminded himself.

When he saw the picture, he had to hold back a grin. There she was, Effie Trinket. Dressed in sexy Santa Claus lingerie with long blonde curls. The door of the elevator opened, he walked into the viewing area and decided to hang it on the wall, even though it wasn't December. But hey. _This is going to be great,_ he grinned.

Just a minute later Effie walked in, smeared makeup and lopsided wig. Her shoes were gone and her dress was wrinkly. She yawned. "Haymitch are you there?" she asked and walked towards the viewing room. Haymitch lay on the sofa, half asleep. "Haymitch," Effie shook him. "you woke me. Where were you? I was worried." Haymitch opened his eyes and smiled as soon as he saw Effie. He sat up straight. "I was just doing some shopping, princess."

Effie raised her eyebrows. "Shopping? It's 2 AM." She sat next to him on the couch. "Don't you want to see what I bought?" Haymitch smirked and pointed at the wall opposite of them. Effie rolled her eyes. "Haymitch it is not December. I know you like the holiday season but-" Haymitch interrupted her. "Look closer." Effie rubbed her eyes and looked closer. She immediately gasped in horror. "Haymitch Abernathy you perverted freak!" She stood up quickly and ripped the calendar off the wall. Haymitch was faster and took it from her, holding it in the air teasingly. "Why so serious, princess? You look great! I like your hair too!" He ripped off her wig, revealing her blonde hair, and held it in the air as well.

"Hey! Give that back!" Effie screamed. "Haymitch this is not funny!" Haymitch nodded. "I agree, that wig of yours is ugly as fuck." He threw it on the sofa. Katniss and Peeta came in the room, looking extremely tired. "What's going on with the two of you!" Peeta yelled. Katniss joined him. "We're trying to sleep!" Effie didn't react to them, as Haymitch didn't do so either. She didn't make a move to get the wig. Instead she focused on the other object in Haymitch's hand; the calendar. She reached for it and jumped a couple of times, snatching the calendar away from him and held it against her chest in protection. "Why are you being so nasty about this?" Haymitch asked. "You're the one who posed for this picture."

"What picture?" Katniss asked. She walked towards Effie and held her hand up. Effie sighed and gave her the calendar. Katniss stared at Effie's picture, at Effie, the picture, and Effie again. "Wow, Effie." she cleared her throat. "I didn't know you were eh... into this kind of stuff."

Peeta grabbed the calendar from Katniss' hands. His face turned red as he saw the picture and he gave the calendar back to Effie without saying a word. "I- I like your hair though." Peeta stuttered, trying to make the situation less awkward. But instead, he had made it even more awkward.

Haymitch smirked and mimicked Effie's accent. "Breathe it all in children. This is all for-" he received a nudge from Effie's elbow. "We should probably head back to bed now." Katniss said, and grabbed Peeta's hand, pulling him with her to the corridor. As soon as the tributes were out of view, Effie and Haymitch heard them bursting into laughter.

"I needed the money, alright?" Effie whispered. "And if there's one escort who wants to do this, I automatically have to do the same." Haymitch's eyebrows knitted together. "You're giving in pretty quickly." Effie sat back on the sofa and looked at the picture. "Do you really think I look beautiful?" she asked. Haymitch pursed his lips. "I said you look great. But yeah, I think you look beautiful too. You should ditch the clown makeup." Effie slapped Haymitch's arm and then smiled at him. "Don't call it clown makeup. But thank you."

Haymitch felt something stir inside of him as he looked into her eyes. Was it because he was kind of drunk? He didn't know. He leaned in slowly and before he even knew it, he was kissing her. Effie didn't move at first, but surprisingly, she kissed back. As they parted Effie looked him in the eyes. "When are you posing for a calendar like this?" she smirked playfully. "Not anytime soon, princess." he answered and pulled her in for a kiss again, laying her on her back on the sofa and crawling on top of her. "But you probably won't need it right now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Paralyzed**

Haymitch opened his eyes, only to stare at a bright light above his head, which made him wince. He groaned in frustration as he felt the enormous headache creeping up on him. He wanted to lift his hand to rub his eyes, but he couldn't. Rather confused, he tried to sit up, with no success. "What the hell..?" he whispered. He looked at his feet with effort and tried to wiggle his big toe. Nothing. What had happened?

A nurse with bright blue hair came into the room. Looking up from the clipboard in her hand she smiled. "Mr. Abernathy, good to see you awake." "Sure," Haymitch grumbled, "can you tell me what the hell happened and what's wrong with me?" The nurse nodded an called in another nurse to help him up. They placed him in a wheelchair and brought him to a large room with the other patients. Patients with hair and skin in all colours. He had long realized he was in the Capitol and that it was Games Season. But what day was it? Were his tributes still alive? And why couldn't he remember anything?

"Sir?" the blue-haired nurse started. Haymitch nodded for her to continue. "It might come as a bit of a shock, seeing as you don't remember anything. You were in a car accident a few days ago, and… well… you got paralyzed from the shoulders down. I'm sorry." "A car accident?" Haymitch asked. The nurse nodded. "They found you in a cab. You were drunk, and so was the driver. It could have been easily prevented, I'm afraid." Haymitch face became red with anger. "The driver was _drunk_?" The nurse looked at her feet and toyed with the fabric of her dress. "He got fired, or so I heard." Great. That didn't make up for anything.

Haymitch decided to calm down a little. He took a deep breath. "Did anyone visit me in the past few days?" He didn't expect much. He had no family, nor did he have any friends. The nurse looked up and knitted her eyebrows. "I believe there was this one woman who came to visit you one time. Pinkish hair, blue eyes… Ah! The escort from Twelve. How could I forget?" She giggled.

Haymitch spent the next few days in utter boredom. He wasn't allowed to leave the hospital until they were done with the researches. He stared at the TV in utter distress. His tributes had died just a few hours ago, they had managed to stay in the Games longer than all of his previous tributes combined. Too bad it was over now. He felt so out of place he wanted to die.

He heard footsteps behind him and tried to turn his head to the left. He saw a flash of white and then it disappeared. "Boo." A voice whispered in his right ear. Haymitch's eyes grew wide and he looked at the person on the right. "Trinket! Woman, what do you think you're doing here?!" Effie, clad as a nurse, smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "I'm getting you out of here." Haymitch laughed. "And are you _allowed_ to do that?" "No, but I'm doing it anyway. Come on." She stood behind his wheelchair and pushed him out of the room.

Soon one of the doctors stopped them. "Excuse me miss, you aren't allowed to bring him back yet." Effie shot him an angry glare. "No offense, _doctor_. But this patient was feeling rather tired and he wanted to be escorted back to his room to get some rest. Now, if you will excuse me." She pushed past him and continued to walk down the corridor, until the doctor was out of sight. "Where are you taking me? What's the plan, Trinket?" But Effie didn't answer any of his questions and spoke to him again when they had reached the Penthouse.

"Listen, Haymitch." Effie sat down opposite of him. "I promise I will take care of you." Haymitch wasn't convinced. "Why did you take me out of there? I was doing perfectly fine, thank you very much." Effie shook her head in disagreement. "No. That's the point. You were doing horribly. Doing absolutely nothing all day is nothing for you. I will do for you what I can, okay?" She looked up at him, her bottom lip quivering. "Ah Trinket, don't try that with me.." He closed his eyes. When he opened them Effie was still looking at him. "Ah what the heck, alright. But if you screw up, you're bringing me back to the hospital." Effie nodded en smiled.

After a few days Haymitch was convinced. Effie was there for him 24/7. Waking him, making breakfast, lunch and dinner, helping him shower and dress… there was nothing she couldn't do. She refused to let an Avox help her. She even talked to him a lot, told him fun stories and sang a little for him. Haymitch wouldn't admit it, but he was happy that she was there for him. The hospital felt like prison compared to this. She made him forget about his disability every single day.

"Hey, princess?" Haymitch asked while Effie was putting on Haymitch's shoes on his feet. "Hm?" Effie replied. "I just… wanna thank you. For what you do. You're going through a lot of effort helping me out. Are you really okay with this?" Effie smiled as she finished tying a knot in his shoelaces after a late shower. She looked up at him. "Look, Haymitch. You're my friend, and knowing that I can finally mean something to someone makes me happy. Especially because it's you. I look up to you, even though you believe that I think you're a filthy drunk and that I look down on you." She stood up and smiled at him.

"I'm your friend?" Haymitch carefully asked. Effie blushed a little and toyed with the fabric of her blue dress. "Well.. yeah. I.." Haymitch interrupted her. "Say no more. What do you say we head out for dinner tonight?" Effie looked up from her hands en smiled. "Really?" Haymitch nodded. "Let's say we go to Finique." Effie grinned. "That fancy?" Haymitch smirked. "I don't just go to bars, princess. I know what you like." She bit her lip and looked at the clock. "It's 18:30. Let's go." She pushed the wheelchair towards the elevator, kissed Haymitch on the cheek and pushed the button to the ground floor. Haymitch decided he needed to say something before the doors slid closed. "Please tell me you're driving, I don't want to see a cab ever again."


	3. Chapter 3

**Saving A Princess**

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Effie Trinket's bloodcurling shriek could be heard through the entire Training Center. Haymitch sat up in his bed and took a quick glance at his alarm clock: 2 in the morning. He let out a groan and let himself fall back into his pillow, embracing the sleep that slowly washed over him again. He assumed that everything he had heard was just some sort of hallucination. He was still drunk. Both of his tributes had died in the arena a couple of days ago, after all. But it was not until a few seconds later that he heard her shrieking again and knew something was wrong.

"Effie?!" he yelled. No response. He heard something break. A vase? A lamp? He jumped out of bed, assuming the worst. Haunting images of Effie, captured or even killed by some sort of crazy intruder, crossed his mind. "Haymitch help me!" he heard Effie scream. Haymitch ran towards the door, opened it and then ran down the corridor to the living room. "Effie?" he whispered? It was quiet. He slowly walked into the viewing area, grabbing a broom in the process to strike down the possible intruder.

Nothing. The viewing area was empty of people. He scratched his growing beard. Then he heard someone sobbing. Soft, sad whimpers coming from the kitchen. Haymitch turned around and there she was. Effie stood on a chair, clutching onto her nightgown with one hand, covering her mouth with the other. Her face looked pale and tired. A broken coffee cup lay next to her on the floor. Ah, that was where the sound had come from. "Effs, what the hell is going on?" he whispered, confused and not entirely sure of his safety.

Effie saw him, let go of her nightgown and pointed at something on the floor near the kitchen counter, her hand trembling. She remained silent, afraid to say even a word, as if it would be a terrible mistake. Haymitch lifted up the broom in his hands and walked towards the kitchen slowly. His eyes scanned the floor. He was even more confused now. Was their intruder so small, and shy?

"Where?" he asked. Effie held her index finger in front of her pinkish lips. Silence, right. Then she pointed at the kitchen counter with the same finger. Haymitch sighed, getting pretty tired of her games, and sat down on his knees. He had the broom in his hands, ready to fight. He looked into the darkness of a small gap underneath the kitchen counter, and was greeted by a ticklish feeling on his nose. Something was… smelling him. Touching him. Something with whiskers?

Haymitch stood up again, and a big, brown rat appeared from under the kitchen table. Greeting Haymitch by sitting upright and looking at him with its small, shiny black eyes. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Get rid of it Haymitch!" Effie cried. Haymitch looked her in the eyes. "This is it?" he asked. "This is what?" Effie sniffed.

"Dammit, woman!" Haymitch yelled. "It's just a filthy rat, get over it and go to bed!" He angrily threw his broom in the corner of the kitchen and walked back to the corridor. "What? You can't just leave me here with this... this beast!" Effie yelled after him, wiping away her tears. Haymitch walked back and pointed at her. "Thanks to you I missed a lot of sleep, you know." he said bitterly. "I thought you were in serious trouble, Trinket! And you decided to fuck up my beauty sleep for this damn thing." He nodded at the rat.

Effie scoffed. "What beauty?" Haymitch turned around, throwing his arms in the air in desperation. "That's it. I'm done. Good night, Trinket." He walked towards the corridor again. He heard a soft whisper. "I'm sorry." Effie looked down at her feet. "Will you please help me, Haymitch?" Then she looked up at him, her voice steady. "I need you." That stopped Haymitch in his tracks. She needed him. He pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger in annoyance but turned around anyway, pretending to still be angry with her. He caught the rat with ease and didn't even look at Effie as he exited their penthouse and freed the rat outside of the Training Center.

When he came back, he did not in the least expect a hug from Effie. She held him so tightly he thought he wouldn't be able to breathe for a while. As she finally let go, he smiled. Not because she had let go. He had kind of liked that, surprisingly. But because she smiled so brightly, he believed she lit up the whole room. That sure was something, as it was almost completely dark. "Thank you." she said. Haymitch pulled her in for another hug. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt, princess."


	4. Chapter 4

**In Knots**

It was quiet in the District 12 penthouse as Effie finally let herself fall back on the soft couch. She sighed in exhaustion and kicked off her pink heels. "What a day," she mumbled and closed her eyes for a moment.

Training a tribute was one thing, training _Katniss_ the tribute was another. Effie had spent hours correcting Katniss' posture, teaching her how to walk in heels and how to present herself to the crowd. Just a few minutes ago, Katniss had thrown her arms up in frustration and told Effie she was going to bed. So much for that, then.

It was late, Haymitch could come in any minute. He was spending the day with Peeta. The very thought of his name gave her a warm feeling. She had had that for a while now, that feeling. But she thought it was absolutely inappropriate and kept it to herself, telling herself to stay professional.

The sound of a door opening woke Effie from her little daydream. She remained silent and kept her eyes closed as she heard two pairs of feet coming closer. "It's Effie," she heard Peeta say. "I think she's asleep." Haymitch sighed. "I'll take care of that later. Go to bed, kid."

As Peeta walked off, Effie heard Haymitch sit next to her on the couch, groaning in frustration. She decided to open her eyes. "Hi," she said, "what's the matter, Haymitch?" He was doing all kinds of stretching exercises involving his arms and shoulders.

"Oh, you're up." Haymitch let his arms fall back at his sides. "I think have muscle knots in my back or something, I work too hard." Effie snorted. "Right." Then her eyes sparkled for just a millisecond. She sat upright and turned to Haymitch. "I can help," she said, "I can give massages." Haymitch eyebrows shot up. "You can?" Effie nodded. Haymitch seemed to consider the idea. Then he shrugged. "Be my guest."

He immediately took off his shirt and Effie's heart made a little jump. _Darn it, Effie… stay professional_, she thought. He looked quite handsome and muscled considering his drinking habits. "Where do you want me, Trinks?" Haymitch asked. "J-Just lay down here." She hoped he hadn't heard her voice trembling.

Effie stood up and Haymitch lay down on his stomach. Effie took a deep breath. "You're a little too low for me," she said, keeping her voice as steady as she could. "I'll have to sit on your back, i-if you know what I mean of course." She blushed. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead." Haymitch mumbled back. He did not dare telling her how excited he felt.

Effie lifted up her skirt a little, thankful she hadn't chosen for a tight pencil skirt, and placed her legs on either side of Haymitch, sitting on his lower back. She took a deep breath and placed her hands on his shoulder blades. She traced his back with her hands in circles, adding pressure when needed.

"Wow Trinket." Haymitch whispered. "I didn't believe you at first, but you've got magic hands." Effie felt her face redden. "Why thank you, Haymitch."

After another ten minutes of massaging she stopped. "Why'd you stop, princess? I was enjoying myself very much." Haymitch mumbled. Effie grinned. "My 'magic hands' are feeling a bit tired." She rubbed her hands and proceeded to stand up, but Haymitch stopped her by grabbing her wrists from behind his back. Effie froze. He let go softly and then promptly turned around, causing Effie to almost fall off the couch. But Haymitch caught her, so that she was now sitting on his lap. "Wha-What are you doing?" Effie asked. Haymitch smirked. "Don't pretend you did not like that too, Effs. I felt your hands trembling the whole time." Effie let the realization sink in and silently cursed her hands.

Effie thought for a minute. "W-Well yeah… but I was just tired from the day. I mean don't you have that when you're feeling exhausted and you really need to-" But Haymitch interrupted her. "You talk too much," he said and he leant forward, causing their lips to meet. Effie raised her eyebrows, surprised at the sudden contact. Then she relaxed and kissed him back, pushing him back on the couch.

"Didn't know you could be this feisty, Trinket." he smirked. Effie looked him in the eyes, catching a hint of excitement. "Don't overdo it, Abernathy. After this, we're mere colleagues." She took off her shirt and left a trail of kisses down his neck. Haymitch pouted, "So we're not gonna do this again?" Effie looked up and smiled. "I did not say that."


	5. Chapter 5

WARNING: This is kind of smutty so this one's rated M, just to be safe.

**I dare you**

_Is it true that you love me?__  
__I dare you to kiss me__  
__With everyone watching__  
__It's truth or dare on the dancefloor_

Haymitch awoke from his slumber with a groan. He heard music. Kind of loud, too. As if someone had just turned up the volume. "Dammit Effie…" he mumbled.

It was almost reaping day, the 75th reaping day to be exact, and Effie had asked Haymitch if she could stay with him the days before the reaping. "Why?" he had asked. But Effie had brushed this off and she had said: "No reason. Please Haymitch, can you be a gentleman for once in your life?" So, being the 'gentleman' he was, he let her stay.

_La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
Truth or dare on the dancefloor_

Haymitch looked over at the big clock standing against the wall. It was 9 in the morning. Why was she playing this music so loud? He had always thought Effie was more of a classical music type; stiff and formal. But this sounded so loose and... sexy almost.

_La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
I dare you_

He stood up from the couch and was surprised to see he was fully clothed. He had one shoe on. What had he missed? He untied the shoe and threw it in a corner. Dizzy and slightly confused he ran up the stairs, to the spare room. He stopped in front of the door. He could hear the loud music even better now. He looked through the crack in the door and he thought his jaw was going to hit the floor.

That was Effie alright. Stripping to this song. Stripping for Panem's sake. Probably getting ready to shower. She was already in her underwear. Black lace. Her natural blonde curls dancing as she danced. She was quite good at it. "Dang…" Haymitch whispered.

_Of all the millions on the planet  
You're the one who's keeping me on it  
You know I like you, ain't nobody's business  
Your blue Spanish eyes are my witness_

That was the exact moment Effie turned around and caught Haymitch's seam grey eyes with her bright blue ones. Her face became red almost instantly. Shame, or anger? "Haymitch!" she yelled out. Haymitch opened the door carefully. "H-Hey Trinket. Having fun?" Effie quickly covered herself up with a bathrobe and walked towards him.

_It's just the nature, a game  
Get ready, we'll do it again  
Let's not recover, from the hangover  
When your eyes got me drunk I was sober_

"I was getting ready for the shower, if you must know. What are you doing here? You were supposed to be over at Peeta's house! I thought you had left half an hour ago!" Effie ranted. Now he remembered. "Alright I'm sorry but I fell asleep. I'll go and see the kid later today."

Effie seemed to calm down a little, looked at his face, bit on her lip, turned around and grabbed a huge bottle of strong liquor from under the bed. She gave it to Haymitch, allowing him to take a sip. Confused and still a bit dazed, Haymitch took a sip as Effie watched, she was interested. She smiled as he took another sip. _Ah well_, Haymitch thought, _I was already tipsy_ _anyways_.

_Is it true that you love me?  
I dare you to kiss me_

Then Effie took the bottle away from him, standing close, and drank half of the liquor in one time. Haymitch raised his eyebrows in surprise as Effie's eyes seemed to become a bit cloudy. She put the bottle on the ground with a smirk on her face. Then she stood on her tippy-toes and whispered in Haymitch's ear. "Dance with me."

_With everyone watching  
It's truth or dare on the dancefloor_

She dropped her bathrobe to the ground and tugged on Haymitch's blouse, ripping it off his chest. Haymitch smiled and put one hand on the small of her back, the other holding her hand. And they danced.

_La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
Truth or dare on the dancefloor  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
I dare you_

Effie tripping backwards on the bottle sent them both to the ground. Effie immediately burst out laughing. She saved the bottle and took another few sips, then passed the bottle onto Haymitch, who was lying on top of her. He emptied the bottle and threw in on the bed. Then he looked into Effie's cloudy eyes. They were still beautiful though, Haymitch thought.

_Is it true that you love me?  
I dare you to kiss me_

That's when he suddenly kissed her. Effie gave in easily and put her hands in his hair, kissing him back. It was so heavenly, the music seemed to slow down. It gave them both a warm feeling all over.

_With everyone watching  
It's truth or dare on the dancefloor  
_  
Haymitch stood up and pulled Effie up with him. They danced again, forgetting everything around them. Haymitch picked Effie up and carried her downstairs, leaving the door of the spare room open so that they could still hear the music. They danced in the living room and the kitchen, having the times of their lives, the song playing over and over again. They kept on dancing and opened two more bottles of liquor.

_La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
Truth or dare on the dancefloor  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
I dare you_

As the song ended again, they stopped dancing, both of them breathing heavily. Effie trapped between Haymitch's arms, leaning against the kitchen counter, her blonde her stuck to her forehead. "You sure are a good dancer, mr. Abernathy." Effie panted. Haymitch smirked. "You're not too bad yourself, ms. Trinket." That's when he kissed her again.

_All of my life, too late  
Till you showed up with perfect timing  
Now here we are, you rock it  
Our fingers are stuck in the socket  
It's just the nature, a game  
Get ready, we'll do it again  
Let's not recover, from the hangover  
When your eyes got me drunk I was sober_

Effie put her arms around his neck and sat on the kitchen counter, putting her legs around his waist as well. Then she fumbled with Haymitch's trousers, opening the button and the zipper, sending them down to the floor. Haymitch abruptly stopped and looked at her. "What's the matter?" Effie asked. Haymitch shook his head and looked away.

"Trinket, you're drunk. I can't do this." Effie shrugged. "So? So are you. Besides," she put her hand on Haymitch's cheek, forcing him to look at her, "I've always liked you. I won't regret it." Haymitch's eyebrows shot up at this. He grinned. "You just keep on surprising me, Trinket. Good news, I really like you too." he said, and kissed her again.

Then he got rid of her bra and panties, admiring the view for a moment and then trailed kisses down her jaw, neck and chest. Effie moaned his name and then pulled down his underwear. He kissed her again, loving and passionate, his hand roaming through her hair.

_Is it true that you love me?  
I dare you to kiss me  
With everyone watching  
It's truth or dare on the dancefloor_

_La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
Truth or dare on the dancefloor  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
La la la la la  
I dare you_

Effie tried to suppress the scream coming from her lips as he entered her. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She had never felt this before. She gave him a kiss on his lips. God, she loved him."What the…?!" they both heard someone yell. They stopped abruptly and looked in the direction of the sound. Peeta and Katniss.

"I-I've got your bread." Peeta stuttered. Haymitch removed the hair in front of his eyes as Effie covered her chest. "That's okay, you can put it on the table." Peeta's face reddened and trying to look away as much as possible, he put the basket with bread on the table. Katniss turned around.

_Is it true that you love me?  
I dare you to kiss me  
I dare you to touch me  
It's truth or dare on the dancefloor_

Effie closed her eyes in embarrassment. "I-I'm so sorry." Effie whispered. Katniss just pinched the bridge of her nose between thumb and forefinger while she walked away. "I'm scarred for life." Haymitch, not seeming bothered by the situation, said to Peeta: "I'll come over in half an hour for training. Then I guess I can also explain this."

Peeta nodded. "S-Sure. I was going to tell you to come over right away, but nevermind." Then he turned around. "You should take a quick shower, you both reek of liquor." he said over his shoulder and then walked over to Katniss, who was waiting for him at the front door.

"I can never listen to this song the same way ever again." they heard Katniss say before the front door closed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Consequences**

He ran through the dark forest, shouting her name. No, _screaming_ her name. "Maysilee, Maysilee!" he shouted. "Where are you?!"

Haymith was lost. He was broken and hungry. For hours he had heard her screams, and he had chased them. But the dangerous and bumpy path that would lead to her, never seemed to end. Every single time he was almost there – he could hear her voice coming closer and closer – he would find himself at the beginning of the path, again and again.

He had never really forgiven himself for her death. Never. She was his ally, and he had let her down. He finally gave up and fell to his knees, grabbing his knife and covering his ears.

Jabberjays. Those damn Jabberjays.

He could hear them coming closer, the forest became darker and darker. The branches of the trees reached for him, tore his hands away from his ears. "No!" Haymitch yelled. "Stop!"

The Jabberjays surrounded Haymitch, and he heard a new voice. "Haymitch…" it whispered softly. "Wake up…" It was Effie. Haymitch calmed down a little, in vain: Effie's voice soon changed. It went from whispering to talking, from talking to shouting, and from shouting to bloodcurling, helpless screaming. The words changed as well.

"HAYMITCH HELP!" both of the voices now screamed. "HAYMITCH!"

Haymitch let out a roar in anger and pried his knife deep into one of the Jabberjays. All the other birds stopped shrieking and disappeared into thin air. The branches stopped pulling, and the Jabberjay on the ground looked at him. Haymitch took a deep breath and looked into the bird's black beady eyes.

Well, they weren't black. They were blue, and it's feathe—hair.. was blond? Haymitch blinked a few times, only to realize he was in his room on the train. The train back to 12. And next to him, on the ground, lay a woman. Blonde hair, blue eyes, pink lips. Effie.

"Dammit Trinket.." Haymitch yawned. "What are you doing on my floor? Go to bed for Panem's sake." He stood up from his bed to help her up, Effie on the other hand, didn't wince. She did not move.

That was the exact moment he noticed his knife, jammed into her chest, creating a pool of blood on her night gown and the room's carpet. Realization soon hit him.

"Fuck. Effie. No! Effs?!" Haymitch pulled his knife out of her chest and put his ear to it. No heart beat.

"Trinket, wake up right now! This isn't funny!" He gave himself a pinch to check if he was dreaming or not. He was awake alright. "EFFIE!" he cried out and pulled on his own hair in frustration and grief. Tears stained his cheeks. So unlike him, but so like him as well.

This could _not_ have happened. He already lost his family, his girl, Maysilee. Now another person he cared deeply for, was taken from him. And it was his fault. Dammit, he should've listened to her when she had told him to get rid of the knife…

"Haymitch are you alright?" Haymitch heard Peeta's voice in the corridor of the train. Haymitch let out a yell in anger, picked up the vase from his nightstand and threw it into the corridor, smashing it to bits.

"Haymitch what are you doing?!" Peeta yelled in shock. He jumped over the shards of glass, into Haymitch's room. "Haymitch, you should—oh my…" Peeta put a hand in front of his mouth. Haymitch just lay his head on Effie's stomach and tried not to let his tears win.

That's when Katniss entered the room. "What's going on in here? Oh my god, Effie!" Peeta bit his lip. "Haymitch, what happened?" Haymitch sat upright and stared at the ground for a while before lifting his head up and saying: "I did it."

Katniss took a step back, gasped, and then ran out of the room in utter shock. She just stared at the wall in silence as soon as she had reached her bedroom. Peeta closed his eyes, pursed his lips, then kicked the wall and walked off as well.

If only he had listened… He looked into her bright blue eyes again- well, they were just blue now, and lifeless. He closed them carefully and stroked her hair softly. He had wanted to save her, and now, he had done just the opposite. Unconsciously, of course, but what kind of a consolation was that? His family, his girl, Maysilee, Effie. All dead because of him…

He closed the bathrobe she was wearing loosely over her nightgown, to avoid looking at the wound in her chest. "I am so sorry." he whispered.

As the train arrived in District 12 just a few hours later, they gave Effie an honorable district funeral. Because of the deaths of Effie's parents, it was just Haymitch, Katniss, Peeta and their families at first. But surprisingly, a lot of district 12 citizens showed up, even Gale, and they saluted her.

"_It is an old and rarely used gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means thanks, it means admiration, it means goodbye to someone you love._"


	7. Chapter 7

**Duet**

"_And another one bites the dust,  
oh why can I not conquer love.  
And I might have thought that we were one,  
wanted to fight this war without weapons." _

Effie softly sang in the privacy of her own room in the Penthouse as she removed pins from her wig. Her practiced hands managed to find every single one of the pins, and by the time she had removed them all, she lifted the heavy golden wig from her head and placed it on her vanity desk. She sighed in relief and shook her head to free her wavy blonde hair.

"_And I wanted it, I wanted it bad,  
but there were so many red flags.  
Now another one bites the dust.  
Yeah let's be clear, I'll trust no one."_

Next, she carefully removed her fake golden lashes and grabbed a few wipes to remove the make-up from her face. She cleaned her face thoroughly until the wipes were covered in the gold from her lips and eyebrows, the white from her face and the black from her eyelashes.

"_You did not break me  
I'm still fighting for peace."_

Effie looked in the mirror shortly and smiled a little. _Oh, what the heck_, she thought. She stood up and started twirling and jumping while singing as loud as she could.

_"I've got thick skin and an elastic heart,_  
_but your blade it might be too sharp._  
_I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,_  
_I may snap and I move fast._  
_But you won't see me fall apart,_  
_'cause I've got an elastic heart!"_

She let herself fall on her bed, breathing heavily, closed her eyes and laughed. She wanted to fall asleep like that, not caring about taking off her red fan dress first. "Good voice, princess."

Effie opened her eyes and looked at the person standing in the door opening. Her smile faded and was replaced by a hard line. "Haymitch!" She quickly stood up and walked towards him. "How long have you been standing there?!" she asked.

Haymitch shrugged. "Long enough to see you can't dance."

Effie tried to hide the redness in her cheeks and attempted to push Haymitch out of her room - in vain. "Get out of here, Abernathy!" she screamed and started hammering on his chest with her fists. Haymitch grabbed her wrists. "Now hold it, princess. The kids are sleeping."

He cocked his head to one side and raised his eyebrows. Effie gave in with a sigh. "Fine. What do you want?" Haymitch let go of her wrists. They hurt. Haymitch was surprisingly strong for someone addicted to liquor. Of course, he had trained a lot in preparation for the Quarter Quell.

"Nothing really…" Haymitch crossed his arms and looked her up and down. Then he held out his hand. "Come with me, I think I have a surprise you might like."

Effie raised her eyebrows in distrust and put her hand in his reluctantly after a few moments. Haymitch led Effie to the viewing area and let go of her hand. Effie crossed her arms as he walked towards a piece of furniture covered by a blanket, and pulled it off. A piano.

Haymitch turned around and motioned for her to come closer and sit next to him. Effie let her arms fall at her sides, walked towards the piano and sat down. She watched as Haymitch started playing something. A song she had never heard before. It didn't sound happy, nor did it sound all that sad. It was firm and combative. Aggressive almost.

Haymitch looked concentrated as his fingers moved swiftly among the keys. This song told a story. The story of someone who had gone through hell and back. Someone who was trying to protect the ones he or she loved. Someone who was scared, but stood up to fight.

It scared her, but at the same time it made her feel something inside of her. Fire. A sense of determination. She looked at Haymitch. This song meant something to him. He looked so… broken. So angry. But as soon as the song ended, his face relaxed. And he looked at her and noticed the goosebumps on her arms.

"I believe you liked it?" he asked. Effie blinked a few times and rubbed her arms. "I-It was beautiful. I-I didn't know you could play the piano so well." she stuttered. "What's the name of the song?" Haymitch grinned. "Deep Shadow. I wrote it when I was about twenty years old I guess. My dad taught me how to play the piano, it became my talent as a Victor after a while."

Effie nodded and then bit her lip. "You wrote this?" Haymitch nodded and let his fingers wander over the keys of the piano. "What is it about?"

Haymitch froze for a second. When he relaxed he looked at his hands. "Everything. The Games, my family, Maysilee. Stuff like that." He composed himself and sat up straight. "So, I heard you could sing. What do you say we make a little music?" Effie looked at him and inhaled deeply. "Abernathy, it's 1:30 in the morning."

Haymitch shrugged. "Come on, Trinket. Loosen your corset, sing for me." He pressed a few keys, forming a short tune. Effie sighed. "Fine."

She closed her eyes and started singing softly. As the song progressed Haymitch started playing along on the piano.

"_I remember tears streaming down your face  
When I said, I'll never let you go  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said, Don't leave me here alone  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes_  
_The sun is going down_  
_You'll be alright_  
_No one can hurt you now_  
_Come morning light_  
_You and I'll be safe and sound."_

As the two of them sat there together, accompanied by no one but one another, they felt in sync. Effie's soft voice fitted the sound of the piano so well. And at one point, completely out of the blue, Haymitch started to sing with her. Softly; a background voice. And Effie smiled at him.

"_Just close your eyes  
You'll be alright  
Come morning light,  
You and I'll be safe and sound.  
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh.  
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh.  
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh…."_

As Haymitch hit the last key and Effie sang her last note, it became silent. Suddenly Effie hugged Haymitch tightly. "I loved your surprise." she whispered in his ear.

It was five years later. The mentor and the escort had had these little musical meetings in secret for a while. Not during the revolution of course. Not in 13. But when they came back to Twelve, they started again. Neither Haymitch nor Effie had ever said anything about their little get-togethers to anyone. Until Katniss' first child had turned one year old.

"We have to do this. She will adore it!" Effie chirped. Haymitch knitted his eyebrows together. "Are you sure, Eff? This was our little thing, right?"

Effie grinned and put her hands on Haymitch's upper arms. "And it will be, forever and ever. Just this one time I want to surprise someone. Please?"

Haymitch threw his arms in the air in defeat. "Alright, princess. This one time."

But it didn't stay one time. After they had played for the child on its birthday, they started playing more for Katniss and Peeta. Songs from home, songs of comfort and happiness. Of course, most of the times it was just Haymitch and Effie, but when one of the children needed an emotional boost they visited Haymitch's house. And they played the piano. And they sang.

And sometimes, Effie would just sit next to Haymitch, her head on his shoulder, and listen.


	8. Chapter 8

**74**

Perfectly polished from her purple heels to her pinkish wig, Effie opened the doors of the Justice Building. She was greeted by a ray of sunlight. She let her hand rest on the door handle and closed her eyes, until she was interrupted by a peacekeeper. "Miss, would you step back inside, please?"

She opened her eyes and they landed on the young man. "The citizens are about to enter the square. I would appreciate it if you-"  
"I'm looking for someone." Effie shot back.

The peacekeeper sighed dramatically. "Aren't we all?" Then his face grew hard and he motioned with his gun. "Now step back inside."

Effie had to try hard not to yell at him. How rude, waving around a weapon like that. At a Capitol citizen, nonetheless!

She knew better than this. He wouldn't dare to touch her, she bet.

She took a deep breath and closed the doors behind her. "I will be right back," she said. She turned around and left the square, leaving behind a flabbergasted peacekeeper.

The person Effie had been looking for was Haymitch. He was late, once again. Every year, Effie would find him sprawled on his couch in the Victor's Village, sound asleep.

Luckily, she had always found a way to wake him up. Yelling in his ear, pouring cold water on his face... you name it. She had always made sure to remove the knife from his hand first.

When Effie entered Haymitch's house, the strong smell of alcohol and garbage hit her senses. She put a hand over her mouth and nose to prevent herself from gagging. "Haymitch!" she yelled.

But, when she reached his living room, Haymitch wasn't there. "Haymitch, where are you?"

She walked towards the kitchen, and when she didn't find him there, she started to panic. She ran upstairs, careful not to trip, and checked all the rooms. His bedroom, the bathroom, the study... nothing.

She sat down with her back against his bedroom door and bit her lip, thinking deeply. Where could he be? She looked over at the clock. She had about twenty minutes to find him and return to the Justice Building.

There were two places he could be. The Hob, to pick up more booze, or the meadow. She decided he _had_ to be at the Hob.

Effie exited Haymitch's house and walked across the gravel path of the Victor's Village. She still wasn't used to it, and stumbled a few times. Those heels would be the end of her one day.

As she reached the Hob, she nervously greeted Ripper. Ripper was an old woman who sold alcohol to Haymitch. Of course she knew about Effie, but they had never really talked.

"Hello." Effie said and smiled at the woman. Ripper smiled back, showing Effie her untended teeth. Some of them were missing. Effie smile quickly faltered and she cleared her throat. "I have a question. Have you seen Haymitch?"

Ripper shook her head. "Not since yesterday. Sorry. What do ya need him for?"  
"It's reaping day."  
Ripper sighed deeply and shook her head once again. This time in dismay. "Of course, that's why you're here. All dolled up to reap our children."

Effie bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her feet before looking her in the eye. "Alright. I have to go find him then. Have a good day."  
Then she turned around and left, only to hear Ripper click her tongue and talk to herself: "Such a shame."

As Effie expected, she found Haymitch in the meadow. He sat under a large tree with a bottle of liquor. Effie walked up to him, sat down next to him and tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you drunk?" she asked.

"I haven't had enough yet." he responded, slurring a bit. Effie grabbed his bottle and put it down next to her. "We have to go to the square, Haymitch. It's reaping day."

Haymitch sighed and looked at Effie. "Don't you ever get tired of this shit?"  
"And by 'shit' you mean reaping?"  
"By shit I mean everything. The Games."

Effie toyed with the fabric of her blouse. "I do. But it's my job. "  
"Then I think we both have fucked up jobs, princess." Haymitch responded as he put his head against the tree.

Effie nodded and raised her eyebrows. "We do."  
She put her head on his shoulder and took a peek at his watch. "We have ten minutes before we have to be back at the Justice Building." she whispered.

"Sssht, not now Effs."  
As he put an arm around her shoulder, he stroked her cheek with his fingers and the back of his hand. Effie grabbed his hand and started playing with his fingers instead of her blouse.

"You have to remember people can't now about this." she said and removed his arm from her shoulder.  
Haymitch smirked. "People will find out about our little love affair sooner or later, princess. But I'm gonna be honest with you. I hate the clothes you're wearing right now. And the wig is just—"  
"Save it." Effie responded. "I got a manicure."

She showed him her long (and possibly very sharp) nails. Haymitch looked at them with wide eyes. He pretended to lock his mouth and threw the invisible key away. Then he put up his hands in surrender. Effie grinned. "Good."

Then she looked around to check no one was there and put her hands around Haymitch's neck. "I have to go. Are you coming with me?"

Haymitch kissed her softly. He did reek a bit of liquor. If he wasn't drunk already, he was about to be if he drank any more. Effie kissed him back, ignoring the taste of alcohol. She was kind of used to that by now. "Are you coming?" she asked between two kisses.  
"I will be right behind you." Haymitch answered. Then he placed a kiss on her forehead.

Effie stood up. She tugged on her blouse and skirt, and removed the loose grass that had stuck to her. Then she headed back to the Justice Building. She expected Haymitch to come soon.

Once the square was full of people and Effie and the mayor had taken their seats, she became worried. Where was he now? The mayor seemed to be wondering the same thing. "It's two o'clock. Where is Haymitch?" he asked her.  
"He will come soon, don't worry." she replied. But she didn't know.

"Well, I have to get started." the mayor said and stood up. Once he started reading the list of former District 12 victors - there were only two - Haymitch staggered onto the stage. He was drunk.

Effie's mouth fell open. People applauded him as he sat down on the third chair on stage. And in confusion, he started hugging Effie. "I wove you." he mumbled softly.  
"Not now!" Effie said through gritted teeth, and pushed him away.

By this time Effie was sure Twelve was the laughingstock of Panem. The mayor quickly introduced Effie and she was happy to get up.

As soon as a volunteer named Katniss Everdeen entered the stage, Haymitch staggered towards her and congratulated her. Effie bit on the inside of her cheek in fear. It got even worse. Once he had finished shouting to the audience and into the camera, he fell off the stage and knocked himself unconscious.

"I'm gonna look for Haymitch," Effie said to the two tributes, "he's probably in the bar cart."

They were on the train to the Capitol. The tributes looked strong this year. Both good-looking and sixteen years old. Maybe one of them would have a shot at winning this year. Their names were Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.

Once she entered the bar cart, she saw Haymitch. He sat on the couch with a glass of liquor. "Haymitch, the tributes are waiting for you in the living room cart."

Haymitch rubbed his forehead. "Not now."  
Effie rolled her eyes and pulled him up from the couch. He didn't make a move to walk, so she gave him a quick kiss. "Just today. Please?"  
"Why aren't you yelling at me?"  
Effie shrugged and let her fingers wander over Haymitch's chest. "I don't feel like bickering today. The tributes look good. Maybe the odds are in our favor this year. I mean, you probably didn't see it but we also have this boy who-"

Haymitch shut her up by pushing her against the wall of the train. He kissed her. When he pulled back, he let his lips linger near hers. He felt her breath on his lips. "You talk too much," he said, and kissed her again, fiddling with the buttons of her blouse, "let's go to my room."

Effie grabbed his wrists. "Haymitch." she raised an eyebrow. "Tributes, now."

Haymitch sighed in defeat. "Fine. But what about—"  
"You can come to my room after that." Effie smirked and sent Haymitch to the living room cart with his glass of liquor.  
As he disappeared, Effie closed the buttons of her blouse and smiled to herself. "When will he learn?"


End file.
